CU Launches Banchan Hankki Series... "Targeting Home Meal Customers"

New HMR Section Established in Pocket CU

Nakji-jeot, Myeongran-jeot, Ojingeo-jeot sold at CU.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] CU announced on the 22nd that it will launch a side dish specialty brand called ‘Banchan Hankki’ targeting the growing number of home meal consumers, and will establish a dedicated section for Home Meal Replacements (HMR) in the Pocket CU application.

The first products in the Banchan Hankki series are three popular side dishes: Nakji-jeot (fermented small octopus), Myeongran-jeot (fermented pollock roe), and Ojingeo-jeot (fermented squid). Packaged in 90g small portions, they are perfect for individual consumption and come in airtight square containers, making them convenient for storage after eating. Next month, CU plans to sequentially release steamed egg, stir-fried anchovies, stir-fried garlic scapes, and seasoned pollack sashimi. According to CU, sales of side dishes such as kimchi, canned food, and banchan from January 1 to September 20 this year increased by 18.1% compared to the same period last year.

A ‘Simple Meal’ tab will be created on the main screen of Pocket CU. Simple Meal carefully selects popular side dishes, meal kits, and soup/stew products from well-known HMR manufacturers’ online channels and delivers them by courier to the customer’s designated address. The sales proportion of HMR products within Pocket CU’s home delivery increased from 22.2% in May to 36.1% last month.

A BGF Retail official said, “In response to the increase in single-person households and rising prices leading to more customers purchasing side dishes, we launched the Banchan Hankki brand to strengthen small-portion side dishes. As online grocery shopping becomes more active, we will make various efforts to contribute to stabilizing food prices by establishing a dedicated HMR section in Pocket CU.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.